IMMIGRATION officers assigned at the Mactan International Airport (MCIA) intercepted last July 23 another China-bound victim of the fake marriage scheme.
Immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) head Bienvenido Castillo III reported the interception of a female victim aged 23, whose name has been withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws and who initially presented herself to be bound for China on a China Eastern Airlines flight to visit her alleged Chinese spouse.
Castillo said she was able to present a genuine Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) marriage certificate and a civil registrar’s certificate, claiming they married in March 2024 and a supposed Commission on Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counseling Program certificate to support her claim.
However, officers doubted her statements citing numerous inconsistencies between her statements and the documents she presented.
The female victim was directed to I-PROBES officers, who reported she had difficulty recalling basic details about their marriage.
The victim later admitted that there was no actual wedding, and the officers were able to confirm that the CFO certificate presented was fake. She claimed that all documents presented was arranged by the alleged Chinese spouse through an agent.
The following day or on July 24, Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 intercepted last July 24 another female victim, aged 20, suspected to be a mail order bride, together with her Chinese escort.
Amidst the onslaught of typhoon ‘Carina’, the Chinese man attempted to assist the travel of the Filipina victim on board a Xiamen air flight to Chengdu, China by claiming to be her spouse. They also presented a genuine PSA marriage certificate and showed photos insisting they were married.
The victim however later admitted that a fixer arranged all their supposed marriage documents, to whom they paid P45,000.
The victims and the male escort were turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.
